Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) hosted a delegation from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan (UAF) from May 15th to 19th. The two universities held a workshop on the China-Pakistan Horticultural Research and Demonstration Center and signed an agreement on the co-construction of an international joint laboratory for horticultural research.

The delegation was led by UAF Vice-Chancellor Iqrar Ahmad Khan, who was invited by HZAU President Li Zhaohu. Li and Vice President Qing Ping met with the guests and discussed the cooperation and exchange between the two universities in various fields, especially in horticulture. The relevant heads of the Graduate School, Science and Development Department, International Cooperation and Exchanges Department, and the College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences accompanied the meeting.

Li welcomed Khan and his delegation on behalf of HZAU. He said that HZAU attaches great importance to cooperation and exchange with UAF to cope with food security and climate change issues and challenges in the post-epidemic era. He reviewed the construction and development history of the China-Pakistan Horticultural Research and Demonstration Center and emphasized the important role of horticulture in changing people’s lifestyles and improving people’s quality of life. He pointed out that the co-construction of an international joint laboratory for horticultural research by both sides is another milestone in the cooperation between the two universities, which will effectively promote sustainable cooperation and development between the two sides in the field of horticulture. He looked forward to further deepening cooperation between the two universities in scientific research, teacher-student exchange, technology transfer, industrial transformation, and other aspects, and jointly making greater contributions to food nutrition and health and meeting human needs for a better life.

Khan responded to Li’s views and emphasized the importance of cooperation. He said that UAF aims to promote the development of the horticultural industry to cope with global food security challenges and provide solutions for agricultural and social development through innovation and technology transfer.

At the workshop, experts and scholars from both sides discussed how to implement cooperative research projects of the China-Pakistan Horticultural Research and Demonstration Center around four topics: citrus variety evaluation, promotion, and high-quality production technology research and development; post-harvest quality maintenance and standardization research and training; vegetable germplasm resource improvement and cultivation variety promotion research; landscape horticulture management and construction technology.

The delegation also visited the HZAU campus scenery, school history museum, and library, visited the Graduate School, and exchanged with Pakistani students. They also visited Hainan Horticultural Industry Development Situation and visited the HZAU alumni enterprise Wuhan Chuwei Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

This is the first president visiting group welcomed by HZAU after the epidemic. This pragmatic and effective visit deepened communication and exchange between HZAU and Pakistani universities in the higher agricultural education field, providing a path and direction for HZAU to participate in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor construction, deepen future China-Pakistan agricultural science education cooperation, and help build “Belt and Road” education community.

Background

UAF was founded in 1906. It is a public research university that ranks among Pakistan’s top three higher institutions. It has outstanding majors in agriculture and veterinary medicine. Its graduates have a high employment rate, which makes it enjoy a high reputation in Pakistan.